njl

It's somewhat like mom feeding you oatmeal on a cold winter morning. It may not really help, but it rarely hurts and might save your butt once in a while. Most guys use them because they shoot 9mm or .40, and the chance of getting a piece of Glocked brass might ruin thier day. The LFC sizes the base of the brass far more than the standard sizer, and may allow a fat case to be sized enough to avoid a jam. I'm using Dillon dies, and all my 9mm brass is "Glocked". My loads all drop right in and out of my Dillon 9mm case gauge. Are some "match" barrels even tighter than Dillon case gauges?

Who's dies are you using now? Are you having feeding problems?

I've read about the Giraud. It can't do .30 carbine. So, to do both, I need to at least buy something else for the carbine. Is there anything almost as nice as the Giraud that can do both?

Is there a single trimmer that will do a good job on both .30 carbine and .223? Time, ease of use, and cost are all factors to consider.

I shot the MG 124gr CMJ's today. I got about the same velocity (avgs within about 10fps of the PD, about 1060fps from a G17 with 4.4gr Universal) as my PD 124gr FMJ load. No problems in the 50.

That could be what it is. I'm new to reloading and have never seen gas checks...just googled them.

I know they're jacketd...but what I meant was the jacket is clearly two different jackets...the one visible on the base of the bullet is even a different (more "copper-like") color than the outer jacket. I just went ahead and loaded up 50 to see how they do. Right after seating the first one, it occurred to me "these have a slightly different profile than the PD 124gr I've been using...I better measure the OAL" and it was about 0.015" longer than I wanted at 1.160. So I dropped the seater about 1/4 turn and loaded the rest to 1.145". Perhaps tomorrow I can see how they shoot.

I went ahead and ordered the 124gr CMJ...and they got here real fast. PD had me conditioned to expect bullet orders to take weeks to ship. The construction looks weird. I was expecting something like CCI Blazer bullets which have a seamless total jacket, as if plated on. The MG CMJ look more like a JHP (brass base) with a second "FMJ" jacket from the top. Without cutting one in half, I'm only guessing. The base jacket is a different color than the outer jacket too. Should load data I developed using PD 124gr FMJ be more or less interchangable with the MG 124gr CMJ? BTW, I like how they shipped. Bag of bullets inside a heavy cardboard box, inside a flat rate box. It looks like they survived shipping pretty well...which is impressive for a nearly 70lb. box.

Depending on the dies and price, I'd be interested in the .38 setup. At this rate, you'll have the unwanted conversions sold before you even buy the press.

Do you use case lube with pistol brass? You should give it a try. The difference it makes is just amazing. Adding wax to the tumbler media can help...but it still doesn't compare to lubricating the cases prior to resizing. Find a local source for http://www.amazon.com/Lansinoh-Breast-Crea...e/dp/B000067DYG Put just a tiny dab on your fingers, rub it onto the cases such that there's just a hint of film on them, and resizing will feel like there's nothing in that station.

Other than running the powder hopper dry, how did you manage this on a 550? I find if I fill it more than 1/2 way and check it every hundred rounds (i.e. when I have to load more primers), I can't run out of powder (at least with Universal Clays and 9mm...I'm sure that could change as I get to bigger stuff). +1000. You've probably read lots of people say "I use carbide dies, never seen a need to lube." Ignore them. I loaded my first 1k or so 9mm with Dillon carbide dies and no lube. Then I started using a little lanolin (basically just get some on my thumb and index finger and roll/rub the cases in my fingers as I put them in the press). They resize so much easier, there's just no comparison. That's got to be easier on the press, and easier on my arm/shoulder.

Be careful with Tasco. Some of their newer tube dots really don't have much brightness. If you shoot in a dimly lit indoor range, that's fine. If you shoot out in the sun, the dot might not be able to be set bright enough to be usable.

After being not entirely impressed with Precision Delta's 124gr FMJ, I was going to order some 124gr JHP from Montana Gold, but I see they've recently gone out of stock and don't appear to want backorders. Is there much difference in practice between their 124gr FMJ and 124gr CMJ? The CMJ are just a tiny bit more $, but I kind of like the idea of no exposed lead base (less lead vapor in the air), as long as it doesn't negatively affect performance/accuracy.

Are Montana Gold's "55gr FMJ .224" boat tail? From their picture, I can see the cannelure, but can't tell if it's BT or flat base.

I take it you have a manual. Universal Clays should do fine for 9mm mild loads. I like 4.3gr under a 124gr FMJ. I've been tempted to try even a little lower than that, but it's the minimum according to Hodgdon (under minimum according to Speer).

Did you guys ever do and chrono any loads?

Some of you have probably noticed, Grafs had some primers listed as in stock recently and has started accepting backorders again. I put in an order for primers and powders.

That seems like an awfully light load. You're really getting 1130+ FPS from 3.9gr Universal Clays? Those Montana Gold are FMJ, right?

I think I'm going to wait until after I've heard back from them with their response/opinion on them before throwing them under the bus. They are from a very popular FMJ producer. My concerns are: 1) What effect on accuracy could this have? 2) What's the odds of such a jacket separating in the barrel, leaving a partial obstruction that causes damage or horrible accuracy on the next shot?

Do you carefully examine all projectiles before reloading? Would you load/shoot these? What if you'd loaded a few thousand from the same batch of bullets before you'd noticed a bunch like these? In the last picture, the brass was used as convenient holders for the bullets so I could get a shot of their bases (I'm not trying to make 9mm wadcutters Click the images to get higher resolution versions (and again to get full resolution).

It really depends on the size/features you want and what price range you want to stick to. I'd avoid Tasco. I've got an OKO on a MKII and have been very happy with it. Midway sells them for $210. I paid around $150 for mine, but that was 5 years ago. An added bonus with the OKO is its very light, which suits use on a pistol.

I didn’t get my degree in economics but if I can make twice as much money and change nothing that’s a win/win. If I can spend millions changing production to fill orders and keep prices low all the while lowering demand (no need to hoard if they are everywhere) then watch the millions I invested in equipment gather dust, I’d call that a loose/loose. OTOH, there are millions of primers on back-order right now. If some company were to step up and fill that demand (or just part of it) faster than the competition, they could instantly pick up a huge amount of business. How long the increased demand would last and if it would pay for the investments necessary to setup production facilities, I don't know. Anyway, this thread has drifted well off the original topic. I take it nobody knows of a place like Grafs or Powder Valley that has reasonable prices, larger sized (4-8lb) powder, and is accepting primer back-orders?

Powder Valley was first to remove primers from their web site. Grafs did it a few days ago. AFAIK, neither will accept primer backorders currently. I realize if I backorder primers today, I'm looking at probably a delay of 1 to several months, which is fine...I just want to know where I can actually place an order, combine the primers with appropriate powder (to save on hazmat) and not get gouged.

I'd like to order 5k SP, 5k SR-mag, maybe a few k LP, and 4-8lbs of Universal Clays, and 8lbs each of probably H110 and something appropriate for .223 (blc2, H4895, etc.). I know Cabelas is taking primer backorders, but their prices are a little high (compared to my previous order from Grafs) and the powders I want, they seem to only sell in 1lb cans, and I don't want to pay the premium you pay on 1lb vs 4 or 8lb. Is there anyone still taking primer backorders (at reasonable prices) who sells the larger size containers of powder?

Your Universal Clays will work for them all.